Every year billions of dollars are spent on advertising on social media in the United States. In 2022, the amount reached 66 billion U.S. dollars, and included paid advertising on social networks as well as games and applications on social media. By 2025, advertisers are expected to spend over 82 billion dollars on promoting their products on social networks. Facebook commands the lion’s share of these expenditures (more than 80 percent), followed by LinkedIn and Pinterest with four and two percent respectively. Social network advertising – a closer look   Studies show that a little over 90 percent of U.S. companies are and will be using social media for marketing purposes. In 2017, social messaging and video were thought to be the trends of the future in relation to social media advertising and believed to have the biggest effect on marketing strategies. Lo and behold, advertising spending on social video has been growing ever since, and is expected to amount to nearly 15 billion U.S dollars in 2021. Even in this respect, Facebook has the lead, especially when it comes to influencer marketing. In fact, all tiers of influencers - from microinfluencers to celebrities - post the majority of their videos on Facebook. The second choice of platform to share their videos is YouTube, which despite being 'the' video sharing platform is not as popular yet among influencers most probably due to smaller user reach.

In 2024, social media advertising spending worldwide will amount to an estimated 234.14 billion U.S. dollars, up from less than 98 billion dollars in 2019 – an increase of 140 percent in half a decade. The value was forecast to grow by nearly 50 percent by the end of the decade, exceeding 345 billion dollars by 2029. Social media's relevance for marketing During a 2024 survey, more than four out of five responding global marketers listed increased exposure as a benefit of social media marketing. Traffic expansion and lead generation rounded up the top three, mentioned by 73 and 65 percent of the interviewees, respectively. Furthermore, Facebook was the most-used social media platform among business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers, while LinkedIn topped the ranking among business-to-business (B2B) marketing professionals. Advertising insights Find further information concerning the average ad spending per internet user in the 'Digital video ads' segment of the advertising market in the United Kingdom and the traditional revenue in the 'Traditional TV Advertising' segment of the advertising market in Poland.The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

In 2020, the amount spend on advertisement per user worldwide increased around 3.5 U.S. dollars to 28.3 U.S dollars. According to the Statista Digital Market Outlook advertising spending per user in estimated to increase to almost 40 U.S dollars by 2025.

In 2021, global social media advertising spending stood at around 116 billion U.S. dollars. The source projected that this figure would more than double and exceed an all-time high of 262 billion by 2028.

Where to advertise in a sea of social media platforms?

While there are many regional differences when it comes to social media usage and accessibility, some platforms reign supreme among users and advertisers alike. As of 2022, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram were the most popular social networks worldwide. Thanks to their massive audiences, these Meta-owned properties also ranked among the leading social media platforms for marketers. What makes advertising via these channels so appealing is not only the prospect of boosting brand awareness and generating leads but also the possibility to strengthen brands’ relationships with consumers via direct communication.

Spotlight on influencer marketing

In addition to posting photos and videos on their social media accounts and interacting with followers, companies can also enlist the help of content creators to drive visibility and potentially unlock new audiences. Over the past few years, the global influencer marketing market value has expanded rapidly and is now sized at an estimated 16.4 billion U.S. dollars. Instagram remains the primary playground for this creator-driven form of online marketing, though apps like TikTok are also becoming more appealing to brands from around the world.

In 2024, social media advertising spending in the United States amounted to 83 billion U.S. dollars, out of nearly 361 billion total online media advertising spending forecast for that year.

The ad spending is forecast to experience significant growth in all segments in 2028. As part of the positive trend, the indicator achieves the maximum value across all two different segments by the end of the comparison period. Notably, the segment Social Media Advertising Mobile stands out with the highest value of 212.68 billion U.S. dollars. Find further statistics on other topics such as a comparison of the ad spending in the United States and a comparison of the ad spending in Germany. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

Over the last two observations, the average ad spending per internet user is forecast to significantly increase in all segments. Concerning the two selected segments, the segment Social Media Advertising Mobile has the largest average ad spending per internet user with 34.29 U.S. dollars. Contrastingly, Social Media Advertising Desktop is ranked last, with 6.95 U.S. dollars. Their difference, compared to Social Media Advertising Mobile, lies at 27.34 U.S. dollars. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

The ad spending in the 'Social Media Advertising' segment of the advertising market in Latin America was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2030 by in total 5.6 billion U.S. dollars (+80 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the ad spending is estimated to reach 12.55 billion U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2030. Notably, the ad spending of the 'Social Media Advertising' segment of the advertising market was continuously increasing over the past years.Find further information concerning the ad spending in the 'TV & Video Advertising' segment of the advertising market in Japan and the ad spending in the 'Digital Video Advertising' segment of the advertising market in Czechia. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

The ad spending in the 'Social Media Advertising' segment of the digital advertising market in the United States was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total 15.8 billion U.S. dollars (+21.84 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the indicator is estimated to reach 88.08 billion U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2028. Notably, the ad spending of the 'Social Media Advertising' segment of the digital advertising market was continuously increasing over the past years.Find other key market indicators concerning the average ad spending per internet user (ARPU) and revenue growth. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

In 2023, social media advertising spending in Europe stood at 23.3 billion euros, growing with 18.2 percent year-on-year. The United Kingdom is by far the market with highest social ad spend in Europe, followed by Germany and France.

The statistic shows data on social media advertising spending per social network user in the Middle East and Africa in 2013 as well as a forecast thereof until 2016. The spending is expected to increase from 0.38 U.S. dollars in 2013 to 0.78 U.S. dollars in 2016.

As of 2023, the yearly social media advertising spending in the United States for X (formerly Twitter) has plummeted down from 12 to five percent. Facebook and Instagram's social media ad spend remained relatively stable from 2020 to 2023, with a slight drop of three percentage points, reaching 60 percent in 2023. TikTok's social media ad spend value has grown up to 14 percent in the country.

In 2028, the ad spending growthis forecast to significantly decrease in all segments compared to the previous time point. Comparing the two different segments for the year 2028, the segment 'Social Media Advertising Mobile' leads the ranking with 3.26 percent. Contrastingly, 'Social Media Advertising Desktop' is ranked last, with 3.24 percent. Their difference, compared to Social Media Advertising Mobile, lies at 0.0200 percentage points. Find other insights concerning similar markets and segments, such as a comparison of revenue in Spain and a comparison of ad spending in Canada. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

The average ad spending per capita in the 'Social Media Advertising' segment of the advertising market in Iceland was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2030 by in total 103.5 U.S. dollars (+63.63 percent). After the twelfth consecutive increasing year, the average ad spending per capita is estimated to reach 266.14 U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2030. Notably, the average ad spending per capita of the 'Social Media Advertising' segment of the advertising market was continuously increasing over the past years.Find more key insights for the average ad spending per capita in countries and regions like the ad spending in the 'Out-of-Home Advertising' segment of the advertising market in the world and the reach by social network in the 'Instagram' segment of the advertising market in Poland. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

The ad spending in the 'Social Media Advertising' segment of the digital advertising market in Lithuania was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total 14.2 million U.S. dollars (+27.96 percent). After the tenth consecutive increasing year, the indicator is estimated to reach 64.95 million U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2028. Notably, the ad spending of the 'Social Media Advertising' segment of the digital advertising market was continuously increasing over the past years.Find further information concerning the ad spending in the digital advertising market in Vietnam and the ad spending in the digital advertising market in Italy. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

The ad spending is forecast to experience significant growth in all segments in 2027. The trend observed from 2018 to 2027 remains consistent throughout the entire forecast period. There is a continuous increase in the indicator across all segments. Notably, the Banner Advertising Mobile segment achieves the highest value of 2.33 billion U.S. dollars at 2027. Find other insights concerning similar markets and segments, such as a comparison of revenue in France and a comparison of ad spending in the United States. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

The ad spending is forecast to experience significant growth in all regions in 2030. From the selected regions, the ranking by ad spending in the 'Social Media Advertising' segment of the advertising market is forecast to be led by Lithuania with 110.67 million U.S. dollars. In contrast, the ranking is trailed by Estonia with 77.53 million U.S. dollars, recording a difference of 33.14 million U.S. dollars to Lithuania. Find further statistics on other topics such as a comparison of the reach in India and a comparison of the ad spending in Brazil. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

Social network video advertising spending in the United States was projected to amount to 20.28 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, marking an increase from the previous year's value of 14.68 billion. Ad spending was expected to further increase in 2022 and 2023, reaching an estimated 28.21 billion in the latter year.

In 2024, the United Kingdom (UK) was forecast to see the highest social media advertising revenue out of all European markets. With approximately 10 billion U.S. dollars in revenue, the UK was projected to report higher figures than its three closest competitors combined. What are the benefits of social media advertising? Social media advertising has become one of the most popular digital marketing tools worldwide. As social networks and photo-sharing platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are being used by billions of potential customers every day, marketing professionals from various industries now tap into the vast potential of these channels to promote brands and businesses. According to a global survey, increased exposure and traffic are considered the main advantages of using social media for marketing purposes. For these and many other benefits, social advertising expenditure in Europe continues to increase at a rapid pace. Social media advertising in the UK: an overview The United Kingdom is one of the leading digital advertising markets worldwide. While paid search remains the most profitable digital ad format in the UK, social accounts for an ever-increasing share of digital ad revenue nationwide. According to the latest projections, the UK's social media advertising revenue is forecast to reach 10.34 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. By then, the number of social media users in the UK is expected to reach a record 54 million, with internet users aged 25 to 34 likely remaining the format’s largest advertising audience.

The share of total ad spending in the social media share total segment of the advertising market in the United States was forecast to continuously decrease between 2023 and 2027 by 1.2 percentage points. The share of total ad spending is estimated to amount to 18.59 percent in 2027.